


Hey Google, how do I kiss my boyfriend?

by shipsandglitter



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: (Implied) Touch starved!TJ, Canon-Compliant, Established Relationship, First Kiss, Fluff, Happy Ending, Just two boys communicating their feelings and being in love!!, M/M, Slight Internalised Homophobia, Supportive ray of sunshine!Cyrus, TJ is super nervous but he gets there, These two deserve nothing about happiness, this is literally pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 17:27:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20012068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipsandglitter/pseuds/shipsandglitter
Summary: "So, as any normal middle-schooler would do, he opened up google and spent the next hour or so reading up on articles about how to kiss someone. It wasn’t his finest hour by any means, but hey, sue him for wanting to know how to kiss his boyfriend without embarrassing himself completely."~Aka TJ doesn't exactly know how to do relationships. He might be a little nervous about it.[post-finale, canon-compliant]





	Hey Google, how do I kiss my boyfriend?

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO HERE'S MY OBLIGATORY POST-FINALE FIC

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen! This is Cyrus Goodman reporting live from TJ’s bedroom. Do you have anything to say for yourself on this fine Friday afternoon, Sir Kippen?” 

TJ lifted his head from the pillow he’d buried it in, expression somehow laced with both exhaustion and fondness at the same time. Cyrus held out his imaginary microphone, and TJ leaned in to speak. 

“I’m tired.” 

Cyrus nodded wisely as he walked over to the window, where a dust-speckled stream of sunlight was pouring into the room, and drew the curtains shut. “Very compelling words from Mr Kippen today, folks. Will he make it through a few hours of hanging out with his boyfriend without falling asleep? Find out next time on...the Saturday morning news! This is Cyrus Goodman signing off.” 

TJ looked up again as Cyrus placed his imaginary microphone down on the desk, turning to the boy with a bright grin.

“You’re cute,” he mumbled, smiling as Cyrus moved over to the bed and settled down beside him. 

“And _you’re_ tired,” he returned, giving his cheek a playful poke. 

TJ sat up then, knees sinking down into the soft mattress as he shifted. 

“I’m never too tired to-“ he stopped speaking for a moment, stifling a yawn, “hang out with you.”

Cyrus scoffed. “Sleep deprivation is a major problem for Americans, you know? I say we take a nap.” 

“I’m not sleep-deprived,” TJ argued, “I just...watched an episode or two of Doctor Who last night.” 

“Wow, I didn’t realise they do 10-hour episodes! That’s crazy!” 

“Shut up,” he laughed, but there was no heat behind the words. He shuffled closer to Cyrus on the bed, pausing for a moment to let out a dreamy sigh. 

“Can you imagine, though? 10 whole hours of David Tennant...”

Cyrus raised his eyebrows in a mixture of both amusement and exasperation. “I’m right here, you know?” 

TJ blushed slightly. “Hey, I wouldn’t mind spending 10 hours with you either!” 

They both laughed a little at that, and silence fell between them for a few long moments. TJ was the first to speak up, voice nervous now.

“Um...did you maybe wanna talk about...”

Cyrus’ expression softened when he noticed how red TJ’s face was getting, and he gave the boy a kind smile. 

“Us?” he finished, and TJ gave him a grateful nod. What they’d shared over the past week since Andi’s party had been great, but they’d never actually explicitly spoken what exactly they were. 

At first, TJ had been terrified to do so, and he couldn’t help but think Cyrus sensed this because he didn’t push it at all. Even now, he could feel his nerves rising, and he instinctively found himself grabbing onto the bed covers beneath him as Cyrus turned to face him fully. 

Somehow, he managed to start speaking again, looking anywhere but Cyrus. “I’m uh...I’m new to like...dating. And um...boys. And dating boys. I mean, I can barely even say the word—“ he paused for a moment then, as if proving his point, before continuing, “so I kind of have no idea what I’m doing, but I _do_ know that I really like you.” 

Cyrus placed his hand on top of TJ’s, which had turned white from grasping onto the bedsheets, and gently pulled it away, intertwining their fingers instead. TJ could feel his heart soaring, exactly like it had at Andi’s Party.

“That’s totally fine, we can take things slow. In fact, that’s probably for the better because I don’t really know what I’m doing either. I mean—I’ve dated someone before, but I’ve never dated someone I actually _like_ ,” he huffed out a laugh, finally looking up to meet TJ’s gaze. 

At those words, the swarm of butterflies in TJ’s stomach went crazy, and he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. “Great. Cool. That’s um...yeah!” 

Cyrus laughed slightly, and TJ did too. He didn’t feel like the cool, collected athlete he usually was in the slightest. At one time, reaching out to touch Cyrus—wrapping an arm around his shoulders, tapping his chest, hugging him—had felt so casual he’d barely given it a second thought. Now though, he was acutely aware of Cyrus’ hand in his, and he could feel a warmth spreading from his fingertips right up to his chest. 

“I have a great idea!” Cyrus announced suddenly, placing TJ’s hand down and grabbing out his phone. 

TJ couldn’t help but pout slightly at the loss, but he quickly wiped it off his face when Cyrus looked up again, grinning. 

“I have this piano game on my phone that I haven’t played in ages because I have the slowest reflexes known to man, but now that you’re apparently a piano guy...” Cyrus trailed off, giving him a hopeful look, and really—who would TJ be to say no to the implied offer?

They ended up settled against the headboard of TJ’s bed, shoulders pressed together, with Cyrus watching in awe as TJ perfectly completed each level. His heart was still soaring over the fact that Cyrus was sitting so close to him, so close in fact that when the boy would lean over their faces were mere _inches_ apart, but he tried hard to direct his focus towards the game.

At one point, when he felt Cyrus casually link their arms, his face went red and he immediately lost track of all the keys. 

He paused the game, and Cyrus offered him an apologetic smile. “Was that me?” 

“No! It’s just...my fingers, they’re uh, they’re tired.” 

It had only been about 10 minutes at that point, so he knew it wasn’t one of his most believable lies, but Cyrus nodded anyway and drew his arm away. 

“I probably should’ve asked this before, but are you comfortable with...you know...contact and stuff?” 

TJ’s eyes widened at that. “Yeah! Yeah, totally! I guess I just...get kind of nervous.“ 

There was definitely more to it than he was letting on, and Cyrus seemed to sense it too, but all he did was give him a kind smile. 

“I get it,” he said softly, before reaching out to take his hand, “is this okay?” 

TJ nodded and watched as Cyrus shifted to face him, gently taking his other hand. 

“Still okay?” 

He nodded again.

“Then we’ll stick with this.”

TJ gave him a grateful smile. 

~ 

TJ loved holding hands with Cyrus, and texting him an obnoxious amount of heart emojis, and dramatically telling him how much he’d missed him after mere hours apart, but deep down, he was still trying to convince himself that all of those things were _okay_ to share with another boy. He couldn’t sit peacefully and cuddle with Cyrus the way he wanted to without his brain hitting him with images of all the people in his life that would be repulsed by his newfound feelings. It was jarring, and he hated it, but at the same time what were supposed to be romantic moments between them always seemed tainted by his own worries. His dad was long-gone from his life, and he rarely saw any of his extended family, so he didn’t exactly know why his brain was so adamant on reminding him about them. 

Even now, as he sat on a picnic blanket in Cyrus’ garden, he felt himself hesitating as he reached out for the boy’s hand. Cyrus noticed what he was trying to do much like he had at Andi’s party, and he smiled gently as he took TJ’s hand and intertwined their fingers. TJ let out a relieved sigh. 

It was still winter, but they had been insane enough to take advantage of the ‘slightly warmer than average day’ according to Cyrus, and they were outside eating sandwiches, rugged up in thick coats and scarves. The sky was bright blue and the air was _still_ freezing, reddening both of their faces slightly. 

“Were you ever planning on telling me that you’re a flower-crown making genius or was I just supposed to find out one day when you randomly decide to make me one?” Cyrus asked him, adjusting the crown on his head.

TJ gave him a playful smile. “You were supposed to find out one day when I randomly decided to make you one,” he nodded, earning him an offended gasp. 

“Well, what _can’t_ you do then, Sir Kippen?” 

“Are you gonna keep calling me that?” TJ asked him, raising an eyebrow, “also I can’t do math. Duh.” 

“Yup! There’s no escaping it. Also, you literally _can_ do math but okay,” Cyrus grinned back, popping one of the raspberries they’d brought along into his mouth.

TJ gave him a fond eye roll. “I mean, I can do math, but not well. You know what I really can’t do?” 

“What?” 

“Ice-skate.” 

Cyrus’ entire face lit up at those words, and TJ suddenly felt nervous, _despite_ how adorable his boyfriend was. 

“What’s that look for?” 

“I love ice-skating! I can teach you!” he exclaimed, and TJ couldn’t help the shocked expression that crossed his face.

“Hey, hey, I thought _I_ wassupposed to be the athlete here,” he joked, which had Cyrus giving his arm a playful swat. 

“One day we _have_ to go ice-skating. Pretty please?” he begged, a pout forming on his lips.

TJ hesitated for a moment or two, before letting out a begrudging sigh. “Fine. But I _will_ fall flat on my face.” 

“I won’t let that happen,” Cyrus promised, smiling, “and definitely not to your pretty face.”

TJ’s face grew hot at those words, and he looked bashfully down at his lap, pushing down all of the thoughts he could already feel beginning to surface. 

He didn’t say anything for a moment, then, in the softest tone imaginable, he asked: 

“How did you know you were gay?” 

It was a question that had been pressing at the back of TJ’s mind ever since Andi’s Party, but he’d been too afraid to ask it up until now. He knew for a fact that he was gay, but somehow, a part of him was still terrified of saying that aloud and giving it any kind of weight. 

Shock flickered over Cyrus’ features, and TJ didn’t blame him. It _was_ a pretty sharp subject change. 

“Well...” he began, fiddling slightly with the checkered picnic blanket beneath him, “I guess I just...realised that the way Andi felt about boys she liked was the same way I felt about boys. Then, I dated a girl who I thought would be perfect for me, but I still felt weird. Like...there was something wrong, and that she liked me way more than I could ever like her. Then...” he paused for a moment, and TJ knew that the cold couldn’t be responsible for the blush on his face, “I met you. And I felt all the things I should’ve felt for Iri—her.” 

TJ nodded, and another silence fell as he turned the words over in his head. 

“I...” he swallowed hard before continuing, “I think I’m gay too. I’ve only ever liked boys, and this,” he paused again, blushing as he gestured between them, “kind of just cements it.” 

It was the first time he’d spoken those words aloud, and almost immediately he felt less tense. Someone knew now, and for some reason that made him feel assured. Like it hadn’t all just been in his head. 

Cyrus smiled and ran his thumb gently over TJ’s hand, shuffling closer on the blanket. 

“Cool,” he said, and TJ couldn’t help but laugh slightly. 

“Cool,” he confirmed, giving Cyrus’ nose a playful tap. 

He didn’t think about his dad, _or_ his extended family, once for the rest of the afternoon. 

~ 

“Your hair’s messed up.” 

The words had slipped out before TJ could stop them, and Cyrus huffed out a laugh.

“Thanks.”

Another week or so had passed by now of them being together, but for some reason, TJ was still hesitant as he reached out to brush a few strands away from Cyrus’ face. He allowed it to linger there for a moment, before biting his lip and moving to pull it away.

“Sorry-“

“It’s fine,” Cyrus assured him softly, bringing a hand up and placing it over TJ’s. 

There they were, sat on Cyrus’ bed, TJ’s hand resting on the boy’s cheek. He shuffled closer, his face reddening slightly as he did so. He felt warm and fluttery as he always did when it came to contact with Cyrus, and briefly, the thought crossed his mind that he’d have no problem with staying like this forever. 

He bit his lip again. For his whole life, he’d only really seen tv shows and movies featuring straight couples having moments like this. Looking across at Cyrus then, who’s brown eyes were lit up adorably as they always seemed to be, a strange sense of comfort washed over him. If this was making them both happy, then how could it possibly be wrong?

He smiled as he dropped his hand. “Wanna watch a movie?” 

Cyrus nodded, and they rearranged themselves on the bed so that they were up against the headboard, TJ’s laptop placed between them. He drew the curtains closed before sitting down, blocking the setting sun from view, and turned on Cyrus’ little rainbow night-light instead. 

“Wait—actually—wanna watch Steven Universe? I downloaded some episodes,” TJ offered.

“Have I ever told you how wonderful you are?” Cyrus asked him, watching with a smile as TJ laughed. 

He set up the episode, then hesitated for a moment as he looked down at the space between them. Cyrus looked down too, and for a moment neither of them said anything. 

Then, TJ was picking up the laptop and placing it down on his lap instead, shuffling over to the boy. Cyrus’ smile was blinding as he moved in too, resting his head on TJ’s shoulder with a content sigh. 

“Can I...um-“

“You can do whatever you want,” Cyrus assured, and TJ nodded, wrapping an arm around him. 

The pair remained like that as the sun continued to lower down towards the horizon, eventually bringing pitch black with it. TJ found it somewhat difficult to concentrate on the episode at first, but eventually, his heart rate returned to normal and sitting there with Cyrus became comforting rather than nerve-wracking. 

He looked down at Cyrus, who’s (adorable) face was being illuminated up by the light emanating from his laptop, and smiled. 

_This is nice._

~ 

TJ immediately panicked upon seeing Cyrus enter his room one Thursday afternoon, eyes filled to the brim with tears that looked moments away from falling. He tossed his phone onto the bed and got up from his desk chair, eyebrows furrowed with concern. 

“What’s wrong?” 

A tear slipped down the boy’s face, and his own fears were the last thing on TJ’s mind as he took Cyrus’ hands in his, guiding him over to the bed. His cheeks were still red from the cold, and there was a beanie pulled over his head. TJ crossed his legs and settled down opposite him. 

“I...I got 50 on my chemistry unit test,” he managed, and TJ couldn’t help but smile ever so slightly. 

“Hey, that’s okay! It’s a pass, right?” 

Cyrus shook his head, and more tears began to fall. “Barely. I probably won’t get into college now,” he said miserably.

TJ shook his head. “It’s one test, babe. You’ll get into college, I promise. If they don’t accept you then they’re crazy.” 

Cyrus’ eyes widened at that. “What did you just call me?” 

TJ’s eyes widened too once he’d realised what Cyrus meant. It had come out so naturally, he’d barely even noticed it. 

“Um,” he blushed, shaking his head, “babe, I think? I’m really sorry-“

Cyrus shook his head though, smiling despite the tears still swimming in his eyes. “No, it’s okay. I like it. Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah, so I got a 50, and then I got a detention for talking in class and started tearing up when the teacher yelled at me because I can’t handle any sort of confrontation so now people probably think I’m the biggest wimp ever, then Justin thought it’d be a good idea to splatter paint on my art project so now I have to fix it and I don’t know how long it’s gonna take and I’m gonna be so behind and then I’m gonna fail art too, and-“

“Cyrus,” TJ interrupted, voice firm but gentle, “you’re spiralling. Breathe for me, okay?” 

The boy nodded, taking in a few deep breaths. His hands were shaking slightly in TJ’s grip. 

“Lots of people find confrontation scary, and I can tell you right now that pretty much no one likes being yelled at. People get it. Justin’s an asshole, but I’ll come with you tomorrow to talk to your art teacher, okay? You could always work on it during some lunchtimes.”

Cyrus’ tears eventually began to slow, and he gave TJ an embarrassed smile. 

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” 

TJ shook his head. “It’s okay, you don’t have to apologise.” 

They remained like that for a few long moments, then TJ reached up to wipe a stray tear away from Cyrus’ face, his hand lingering there. 

Worry flitted over the boy’s face. “Sorry. I probably look-“

“Beautiful,” TJ finished, smiling, and Cyrus couldn’t help but smile too. 

Cyrus hesitated for a moment, biting his lip lightly, before letting go of TJ’s hand and tackling the boy in a hug. 

TJ let out a surprised laugh as they both toppled down, and he ended up with Cyrus practically on top of him, his back pressed down into the mattress. 

“Is this okay?” Cyrus asked, and he couldn’t help but laugh again. 

“I love that you’re asking me that now, but yeah, it’s okay,” he smiled, wrapping his arms around the boy. 

Cyrus rolled over to lay beside him, and they spent a good hour cuddled up like that, talking about anything that _didn’t_ involve school. 

TJ always found himself feeling more nervous when he was the one initiating any sort of contact with Cyrus, so taking that out of the equation left him feeling content as they laid there, the gentle afternoon sun warming his bed. He ran a hand through Cyrus’ hair like he’d always wanted to do, and forgot almost completely about the maths homework he’d left abandoned on his desk. 

Some things were just more important. 

~ 

The following Friday marked a month since the pair had gotten together, and it was an appropriately bright day outside as TJ and Cyrus sat at a park table, homework splayed out in front of them. There was wind rustling the trees around them, and various birds chirping to one another. 

Guilt crashed over him like an ice bucket as he looked across at Cyrus, who’s eyebrows were furrowed adorably with concentration as he puzzled over a question. Despite being a month into their relationship, they still hadn’t kissed yet. Constantly seeing happy couples on TV having dramatic first kisses after long, drawn-out confessions and declarations of love really weren’t helping TJ’s fears either, and he couldn’t help but think that Cyrus should be disappointed, despite the fact that he’d been so whole-heartedly positive about taking things slow between them. 

He bit his lip and moved his elbow slightly, rustling a few papers in the process. Cyrus looked up then, meeting his gaze. 

“What’s up?” he asked, and TJ immediately looked down again, red tinging his cheeks.

“Nothing,” he said quickly, trying to find where he’d left off in his textbook.

Cyrus’ eyebrows raised slightly at that, and he put his pen down. “It doesn’t seem like nothing.”

Silence fell for a moment. TJ let out a heavy sigh, and he reluctantly lifted his gaze again. 

“I’m sorry we haven’t kissed yet.” 

Cyrus blinked at him, before getting up from his seat and moving around the table, settling down beside him and placing a hand on top of his. “Teej, don’t be sorry, okay? It’s only been a month. We have all the time in the world for that.” 

“Yeah, but...” he paused for a moment, swallowing down the lump in his throat, “you just seem so...confident. And then I’m here being a nervous wreck. I mean—I couldn’t even _speak_ the other day when we were telling Buffy and Andi about us.” 

Cyrus just shook his head though, a kind smile on his lips. “First of all, I’m nervous, too. Trust me, if I seem even slightly confident always assume I’m dying on the inside. Secondly—I’ve been in a relationship before, remember? It’s normal to be scared during your first one.” 

TJ nodded slowly at that, taking a few seconds to process the words. “Are you sure?”

The boy nodded earnestly, smiling when TJ wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He’d been feeling a lot more confident in reaching out for casual contact over the past week, and it showed. He’d barely had contact with anyone apart from Amber over the past few years, and even that was relatively rare, so whenever an opportunity presented itself he whole-heartedly took it. He was slightly worried about seeming clingy, but Cyrus seemed pretty happy with this development so he tried to push those thoughts down. 

Cyrus pressed a kiss to his cheek, and he felt his entire face grow hot. 

“Is that okay?” he asked. 

TJ nodded immediately, and a smile appeared on Cyrus’ lips. The lips that had kissed him on the cheek just a few seconds ago. The lips that kind of looked super kissable now that he was thinking about it honestly, maybe he should just lean in and-

“Earth to TJ?” 

His face turned an even deeper shade of red, and he looked up to find Cyrus’ eyes shining with amusement. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Yeah! I think we should have a break, though, we’ve been at it for a while. Wanna go for a walk?” 

Cyrus grinned at that, getting up from his seat and pulling TJ along with him. “Sure. Can I hold your hand?” 

TJ nodded, and they packed up their homework, heading off to find another place they could set up shop at. The usual nervousness that bubbled up inside of him whenever they held hands was still present, but it felt more like background noise in comparison to the chorus it had been a few weeks ago.

Cyrus gave him a gentle smile as they walked, pushing up the adorable green beanie that was on his head, and TJ knew then that it was because Cyrus had never given him any reason to be nervous whatsoever. He gave the boy’s hand a small squeeze as he smiled back. 

“I like that colour on you,” he blurted, nodding towards the beanie. 

“Thanks! I kind of, maybe, stole this one from Andi’s collection. Well—let’s just say ‘borrowed without asking.’ She somehow hasn’t noticed yet.”

“What a rebel!” TJ gasped, “right now it’s just your friend’s beanie, but soon it’ll be jewellery from a store or something.” 

“Can you really envision me wearing a ski mask and robbing some random jewellery store? I think I’d trip over my own feet and set off about ten alarms,” Cyrus laughed. 

“It’s the fact that you tried that counts,” TJ said, dropping him a wink, and Cyrus giggled.

“I didn’t realise you were into bad boys.” 

“I’m into whatever you are,” TJ told him, and he saw a rare blush appear on Cyrus’ cheeks.

“Dorks who aren’t good at chemistry?” 

“Cute dorks who are human and have bad test-days sometimes,” TJ corrected, and Cyrus looked down at the ground with a bashful smile as they walked. 

“That was a pretty good save,” he admitted.

TJ grinned. “Thanks.” 

~ 

As TJ sat down in front of the ice-skating rink, he couldn’t help but let out a huff of laughter at the fact that one wide-eyed look from his boyfriend had landed him there. He was completely and utterly powerless when it came to Cyrus, who seemed to know deep down how adorable he was if the way he constantly pouted to get his way was any indicator. 

He had jeans on, as well as a thick, puffy jacket, but he was still shivering slightly as Cyrus placed a pair of ice skates down in front of him. 

“If these don’t fit, we can go get another pair,” he smiled as he sat down. 

TJ just nodded, trying hard to conceal the nervousness bubbling up inside of him. 

Luckily (or unluckily depending on how you look at it) the ice skates were a good fit and soon enough, they were weaving their way through crowds of people towards the entrance of the rink.

It was a large space, situated on the edge of town, and it contained two large ice-skating rinks—one decorated with reds, and the other with blues. There were people gliding gracefully across the ice, some alone and some in groups. Others held desperately onto the sides to keep from falling, and with a wince, TJ realised that he would be in the exact same position. Cyrus gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as they approached the entrance, before letting go and stepping easily out onto the ice. 

TJ swallowed, hard, before taking in a deep breath and followed suit, immediately grabbing onto the side. For someone that had a concerningly common tendency to walk into poles, windows, and everything in between, Cyrus was surprisingly graceful on the ice, gliding past TJ as though it was nothing. 

“Do you practise or what?” TJ huffed, unable to keep from smiling when the boy laughed. 

“My parents used to take me all the time. It’s the only place where I’m not the most uncoordinated baby giraffe ever.” 

TJ’s smile widened. “Well, baby giraffes are cute anyways.” 

“Was that an inadvertent compliment?” 

“Duh,” he answered, blushing slightly when Cyrus blew him a kiss. 

He skated back over to TJ and came to an easy stop, pushing one skate out sideways as he did so. 

“Okay. Let’s practise some gliding! And how to stop. And how to-“

“Gliding is good,” TJ interrupted, grip still tight on the wall. 

Cyrus smiled. “Okay, but you’re gonna have to trust me. Think you can do that?” 

“Yeah,” TJ nodded, without hesitating, and Cyrus’ expression softened slightly. 

Eventually, after an agonising few hours of falling in every direction imaginable, TJ was able to skate slowly across the rink, with a death-grip on Cyrus’ hand. At one point, he was even able to catch Cyrus and steady him when someone brushed past, knocking his shoulder back. 

Cyrus’ hurried ‘sorry!’ was a striking contrast to TJ’s ‘watch where you’re going, asshole!’ and it had both of them giggling as they carried on. 

“Well, you’re learning a lot faster than I did,” Cyrus told him, “after the first few hours I was still clinging onto the wall for dear life.” 

“Only because I have the best teacher ever.” 

“So you’re saying that I’m better than a qualified skating instructor?” he asked, eyebrows raised. 

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, yeah.” 

Cyrus gave his chest a playful swat as they reached the opposite wall. TJ’s legs felt moments from caving in at this point, and he turned to the boy with a slight grimace. 

“I think my whole body is frozen. Wanna end things there?” 

Cyrus nodded, and they managed to reach the entrance again without any dramas. Once they’d taken off their gear, they headed outside to a small café that was part of the same building.

It was late afternoon now, and the day-time crowds had eased. The sky was clear, and blues were fading into reds as dusk approached. 

They ended up tucked away in the corner, with steaming mugs of hot chocolate sat in front of them. The café held a pleasant warmth in comparison to the main building, and TJ found himself shrugging off his coat. 

“That was actually kind of fun,” he admitted, smiling, and Cyrus’ face lit up in an instant.

“I knew you’d like it! We have to come here like every week now.” 

TJ laughed slightly. “Okay, let’s not get too excited, I still think I have about one thousand bruises on my legs from falling over so much.” 

“Hey—at least you didn’t fall on your face,” Cyrus reminded him as he took a sip of his drink. 

“I guess that’s true. My handsomeness has been preserved for now.” 

Cyrus smiled at that, and silence fell between them for a minute or so as they sipped at their drinks. It was a cozy café, with rustic wooden chairs and tables, as well as paintings of various landscapes. His eyes wandered over them for a moment, before returning to Cyrus.

His face warmed slightly when he realised that the boy had already been looking at him, and he pointedly directed his gaze towards the table. When he felt two hands close over his own, he finally looked back up again, and his breath caught in his throat. 

It was fleeting, and it may have been a cruel trick of the light, and he could’ve sworn Cyrus’ eyes had darted curiously down to his lips. TJ leaned forward ever so slightly, heart soaring. He didn’t have a clue whatsoever what to do apart from focus on his breathing so he didn’t pass out somehow.

“Are you two done with your drinks?” 

Their booth had seemed so far removed from the rest of the café that TJ very nearly jumped at those words, leaning back against his seat. 

“Yeah! We are,” he told her.

Once she’d collected their mugs and moved back towards the kitchen, he couldn’t help but notice that Cyrus was blushing now.

“Sorry,” he said, but TJ just shook his head.

“It’s fine. I mean—I would’ve, but um...”

Cyrus gave a quick nod. “Yeah.” 

Later that night while he was in bed, TJ spent what was probably an unhealthy amount of time wondering what would’ve happened if that waitress hadn’t interrupted them. 

_Would they have kissed?_

The idea of kissing Cyrus had reduced him down to a nervous-wreck at one point, but now it seemed he could never stop thinking about it. It still made him nervous, of course it did, but this nervousness seemed different somehow. It felt like a buzz of anticipation rather than a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, and he honestly had no clue when he’d shifted from not being ready in the slightest to being so ready it _hurt_.

So, as any normal middle-schooler would do, he opened up google and spent the next hour or so reading up on articles about how to kiss someone. It wasn’t his finest hour by any means, but hey, sue him for wanting to know how to kiss his boyfriend without embarrassing himself completely. 

~ 

The opportunity almost seemed too perfect if you asked TJ. 

It was a Saturday night, and a thunderstorm had been raging outside for the past half hour. The lights in his house had eventually flickered off, and they were left scrambling around for flashlights and candles. They ended up alone in TJ’s living room, candles lit around them as they watched rain soak the large windowpane in front of them. 

He could feel his heart racing at what he was about to say aloud, and he shifted nervously as the couch. Cyrus picked up on the movement and looked over at him curiously. TJ looked back, and that’s how they remained for a brief moment, with nothing but the sounds of pattering rain to fill the silence. 

Cyrus swallowed, letting out a breath as he turned his body slightly to face the boy.

“Well,” he piped up, sounding nervous, “we have some time to kill.” 

TJ nodded, throat dry all of sudden. “Yeah. We do.” 

Silence. 

He exhaled shakily, privately thanking his past-self for putting on chapstick and popping a mint into his mouth before they headed downstairs. 

“I, um...I,” he took a breath in, “I was looking a WikiHow article last night about how to kiss someone.” 

Cyrus’ eyebrows shot up at that, and an amused smile came to his lips. “Really?” 

“Yeah,” he blushed, watching as the boy shifted to face him fully. “There are steps, apparently.” 

“What’s the first one, then?” 

TJ gave him a timid smile. He could officially cross _‘make sure they’re interested’_ off the list. 

He cleared his throat before speaking again. 

“Apparently you have to make your lips soft.”

Cyrus huffed out a laugh. “Is that why you were putting on chapstick before?” 

“Was it that obvious?” he winced.

“It was cute,” the boy assured him, smiling. He seemed relatively confident, but looking down, TJ could see that he was fidgeting nervously with his hands. 

“Um...and then...” he took another deep breath in, “then it said you have to break the touch barrier.” 

Cyrus nodded, looking visibly nervous now as he placed a hand on TJ’s arm and leaned forward slightly. TJ forgot about the WikiHow article within a matter of seconds once Cyrus was in his space, and automatically he reached down to place his hands on the boy’s waist.

TJ gave him a nervous smile, and Cyrus returned it. 

“Is this okay?” he asked in a murmur. 

When Cyrus nodded, he took one last deep breath before leaning in some more, so that their faces were inches apart. 

“Still okay?” he asked. 

Cyrus nodded again, and he really wasn’t sure who closed the final gap between them but suddenly he felt a pair of lips brushing gently against his own. He felt warm all over suddenly, and he could tell there was a blush on his face as Cyrus drew back slightly. He opened his eyes, having closed them instinctively, and he couldn’t help but laugh slightly at how close they were. 

“Hi.” 

“Hi,” Cyrus returned, before placing a gentle hand on the back of his neck and pulling him in again. Their lips connected firmly this time, and TJ felt like he was on fire all over again. In a good way. If that was even possible. It was a new sensation for sure, and he didn’t exactly know what to do with his hands apart from keep them on the boy’s waist. Cyrus didn’t seem to mind though, because he tilted his head, pressing slightly more in the kiss. 

It only lasted a few seconds but with how dazed they both looked as they pulled away, you would’ve thought it had been a few minutes. 

TJ grinned. “That was uh...” 

“Nice,” Cyrus nodded. “I’m definitely gay.” 

They both laughed a little at that, and the rest of their powerless night was spent playing old board games, listening to 80’s music from his mom’s battery-powered radio, and sneaking the occasional kiss. 

TJ really wouldn’t have had it any other way.

~

_(Bonus)_

The following Saturday brought sunshine with it, and ‘the gang’ (as Marty had dubbed them) were all spending an afternoon together at the park. They had formed somewhat of a semi-circle, with Jonah practising some songs on his guitar while the rest of them chattered away. Andi and Amber had snuck off about 20 minutes ago to go on the flying fox, which had somehow devolved to them seeing who could swing higher on the swing. Marty was sat with an arm around Buffy, talking to Cyrus, who was sat on TJ’s lap. 

TJ could confidently say he didn’t feel nervous when showing Cyrus any form of affection now, and he was taking full advantage of this fact. Again, the thought of being too clingy crossed his mind, but Cyrus had assured him multiple times that it was fine.

Buffy usually liked to make fun of couples within their group for PDA, but TJ had the sneaking suspicion that Cyrus had spoken to her because she never seemed to bat an eye at their (very obvious, very extra) PDA. 

“And _that_ , my dear friends, is the story of how I had pizza delivered to Buffy’s house without her knowing.” 

TJ couldn’t help but snort. “ _That_ was the best prank you could come up with?” 

Marty arched an eyebrow. “Why? Could you do any better?” 

“Yeah, actually,” TJ nodded, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips, “I think I could.” 

They stared each other down for a moment, which had Cyrus and Buffy exchanging a confused glance.

“Are you trying to start a prank war, Kippen?” 

“I don’t know. Am I?” he asked innocently. 

“I think you are,” said Marty, turning to his girlfriend with a grin, “hey, wanna be prank war buddies?” 

“No,” she deadpanned. 

TJ opened his mouth, but before he could get any words out Cyrus was interrupting him.

“Don’t even ask.” 

He crawled off of TJ’s lap then, settling down beside Buffy instead. 

Marty stood up, holding out a hand for TJ. “Let’s go ask Andi and Amber. They’re chaotic enough for a prank war.” 

TJ grinned as he accepted the hand, and as they walked away he heard Cyrus mumbling an exasperated _‘boys’_ to Buffy. 

“Yeah. But they’re our boys, unfortunately,” she sighed.

“I heard that!” he called over his shoulder, which had Buffy laughing and Cyrus playfully sticking his tongue out at him. 

“I don’t know how they deal with us,” Marty mused as they approached the swingset. 

TJ smiled. “Me neither.”

**Author's Note:**

> A few things:
> 
> -TYRUS IS CANON KING  
> -Consent is key, kids!  
> -Kudos/comments are appreciated as always if you liked the fic <33


End file.
